


I Relish Being Yours

by kittensmctavish



Series: Buzzfeed Soulmates AU [11]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Concerts, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Love Confessions, No Dialogue, Orchestra, Piano, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 09:56:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16679422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittensmctavish/pseuds/kittensmctavish
Summary: He’s waited long enough. He has to tell her.





	I Relish Being Yours

**Author's Note:**

> this...sort of ended up being two fics in one. like, it starts one way, then there's an interlude, and then the second part is somewhat unrelated to the first. but fuck if i'm splitting it up into chapters or two separate but shorter fics. it'll just be its own tonally-shifting thing.
> 
> title is a variance on a lyric from "that would be enough" from "hamilton". full lyric is thus: "will you relish being a poor man's wife, unable to provide for your life?" "i relish being YOUR wife."
> 
> (also, this is the first part written from someone else's point of view, so that's fun.)

He’s waited long enough. He has to tell her.

***

It’s you that convinces him it’s time.

Rather, the sight of your healing ankle, the damaged ghost, looking almost angry due to your healing scars, red and inflamed. Your uneven chopped-short hair; you keep reaching up to rub your bare neck, tug at the hacked ends as though bidding it to grow, ducking your head to hide your eyes behind not-quite-bangs.

Your adamance not to tell Ryan you’re his soulmate.

Despite the blank, almost-dead expression on your face when you insist, there is a brokenness in your eyes that saddens and frustrates Adam. And it’s maybe the first time he ever feels something resembling anger towards you. He gets the sense that you’re not telling him everything, and he’s not going to press it, but telling the full truth would make things a hell of lot easier. In several regards.

If you just TOLD Ryan…you DON’T know he’s going to balk and turn you away. The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be when he DOES find out.

He’s aware of his teapot self calling a kettle black even before you point at his ankle as you point out his hypocrisy.

He’s quieter after that. Thinking. Listening to more reasons why you can’t (some admittedly valid, some repeats of what he’s heard before…justified to himself as his own reasons for not telling…)

…when he returns to his place that night, he’s exhausted. Between his worry for you and traveling home from Japan, all he wants to do is sleep for three days straight. But first thing he does is open his laptop to shoot off an email.

To Antolpo.

***

He’d had a plan, before.

He’d remembered, during their first trip to Japan, how much she’d loved the cake from Theobroma. He was going to sneak back on their second trip during a break from filming, taste it again, see if he could recreate it from scratch.

(He’d also briefly considered asking for the recipe for matters of soulmates and true love, but…pretty sure they still would’ve said no.)

Then the second trip happened. With among so many other foods, the delicately iced cookies from Antolpo.

She’d commented on how it tasted “nostalgic”. Like something her mother would make.

Every little thing she said like that, he’d remembered.

He’d considered logistics…the fact that Antolpo cookies could be ordered and shipped…were easier to ship and longer lasting than a cake…how well Antolpo could create and recreate…

***

He’s aware they don’t normally ship overseas. If it’s a matter of cost, he’s willing to pay. Pay however much.

It’s for love. For his soulmate.

And she doesn’t know and he has to tell her and even if the ending is bitter, as least the before will be sweet.

He sends the email and crashes into bed shortly after.

When he wakes up however many hours later, they’ve replied.

Send them pictures of the designs he wants. They will discuss pricing later.

If it’s for love…

***

Rie’s smile upon seeing the slice-of-cake–shaped cookie is incandescent.

And once Adam explains that he couldn’t get her a slice a cake from Theobroma so he got her the next best thing, her laugh bounces off the walls of the Tasty studio.

Her fingers run over the ridges of hardened icing, eyes shining with admiration over the artistry. And as she does, Adam withdraws the second cookie.

This one is a little smaller and, surprising for the company, much simpler in its icing. Much of the golden brown of the cookie is visible, with just the edges iced in a warm red, dotted with golden icing.

From the slight way she freezes, the confusion knitting in her brow, Adam can tell she recognizes this shape. She tucks her fingers under the collar of her shirt, runs them over where he knows her mark lingers. She’s beginning to voice her confusion, how her mark hasn’t changed, she doesn’t have a—

Before she can finish, Adam is tugging one leg of his pants up, lifting it closer into the light. He’s worn a comfortable sensible pair of slip-ons that don’t require socks. So the skin of his ankle is visible.

His mark is visible.

He hears a small strangled noise in the back of her throat, looks up, watches her tug at the neck of her shirt, expose her shoulder just in time to watch her mark shift from its birthmark color to the same red-flecked-with gold.

Another small exhalation of a gasp escapes her as she looks back down at his ankle, her shoulder, his face. Her mouth agape with shock and unspoken questions, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

And he’s too afraid to keep looking at her, so he lowers his eyes, his head, his ankle, lets his pants leg fall and cover his mark again despite another sounds from her that almost seems like a “don’t” but he’s not sure.

He’s so sorry he didn’t tell her sooner. …she deserves so much better than him. Always has. (His voice shakes as he speaks softly, so softly, and god, he can’t look her as he says this, can’t face her anger, her hurt, how betrayed she must feel, her rejection of him…)

Rie’s fingers brush against his cheek, cup the side of his face, gently push it up so he can look at her, and he has to take a breath to steady himself or he may cry because he’s hurt her, he just knows he has, and he hates himself for it…he looks up…

…she’s smiling. There are tears in her eyes. Something resembling a happy sob leaves her, her smile not faltering for it, and then her arms are around his waist, her face buried in his shoulder.

At once, his arms are around her, holding her tight to him, one hand tucking into her hair, fingers combing through the strands as he feels her shake against him in sobs he can’t hear. It was an instinct, to hold her as he is, feels like it’s something he’s done a million times before…it takes a moment to fully hit that she’s in his arms like this.

He closes his eyes at the feeling of something resembling a kiss pressing against his neck, and his arm tightens around her, a little afraid that he’s dreaming and that she’ll disappear if he lets go…

***

He can’t apologize to her enough for not telling her. He should have told her before, he knows. He was just so scared, because she is so good and sweet and amazing and deserves more than he’s able to give her.

She’s not hurt that it took him so long to tell her. But it does hurt that he thinks himself as undeserving of her. …though if she’s honest, she might have done the same if it was reversed. Hesitated to tell him. He’s one of the kindest, funniest, most wonderful men she knows, has ever met, will ever meet. He deserves the world. She’s unsure she can give it to him.

But she’s…she’s so happy. She wipes away another tear. She tried so hard sometimes not to want and wait for fear that her soulmate would be disappointed that it was her…she’s heard stories of that happening…

…and Adam takes her hand, presses a kiss to her fingers. He has NEVER been disappointed. Never could be. He’s the luckiest man in the world to be HERS, has felt that way the moment his mark changed. Just being her friend was always going to be enough…he was afraid to hope for more.

And her fingers curl around his as she draws them to her lips to place a kiss.

How can she relish being tied to someone who hid the truth for so long? She cups his face again.

She relishes being HIS.

***

It’s surprising the whole of Buzzfeed doesn’t hear Steven’s joyous reaction to the news before he practically knocks Rie over with a hug before doing the same to Adam.

Andrew is simultaneously amused and exasperated with his soulmate, but also shocked. He never knew—NO ONE knew Adam even HAD a mark. He’s…mildly impressed that Adam managed to hide it so well.

The news slowly passes through the office, with varying reactions ranging from the usual “Aw, yay, I’m so happy for the both of you!” pleasantries and downright Steven-esque levels of ecstatic (Niki).

***

Instagram photos go up later that afternoon, sets of pictures of both of their marks included in them, and then their joined hands. Rie’s caption is “My soulmate”, followed by various smiling and heart emojis. Adam’s caption is a simple slice-of-cake emoji and a heart emoji.

To say the internet freaks out is an understatement (so much capslock). A lot of explosive joy at the news, even more shock reminiscent of Andrew’s that Adam even HAD a mark, and an abundance of well-wishes.

***

You remain noticeably silent.

***

You to Adam: hey.

You to Adam: i should have messaged you sooner.

Adam to you: i can understand why you didn’t. but please don’t ask me to be sorry for telling her the truth, because i can’t be.

You to Adam: i wasn’t going to, adam…i’m not a monster who hates love and soulmates just because i’m in a crappy situation with mine. i’ve seen the pictures. you’re…god, you’re so happy. and she’s so happy. i’m not going to resent that or anything. i’m happy you told her and that it worked out. that may sound disingenuous in text form, but i really do mean it. you’re my friend and i love you and i want you to be happy.

Adam to you: i know you’re not a monster. i’m sorry if i gave you that impression.

Adam to you: …but you know now that there is ALWAYS the possibility that things will turn out all right.

Adam to you: you’re my friend and i love you and i want you to be happy.

You to Adam: how very dare you throw my own words back in my face, bianchi.

You to Adam: …but really, i wasn’t not messaging you because i was mad or anything. things have been a little…crazy…on my end.

Adam to you: yeah, you seem to have been dropping hints about a lot of goings-on. care to divulge?

You to Adam: not quite yet.

Adam to you: not even one hint?

You to Adam: …fine. i’m turning pages for a thing my sister’s doing with the orchestra she’s in so that’s been taking up most of my nights. (not telling you what, though.)

Adam to you: is it fun?

You to Adam: stop fishing for hints.

You to Adam: …but yes. yes, it is.

***

Said thing, Adam learns in the few days prior to its opening, is a weekend of concert performances of the music from the video game “Cuphead”—Thursday, Friday, Saturday night.

Basically, if you like big band jazz, you inform Adam, you’ll loooooooooove the music from “Cuphead”.

…a good enough first date for him and Rie, at the very least, he thinks (he hopes…he’s not entirely sure how much she’s into jazz but she’s intrigued). Preceded by dinner at a restaurant she said a while ago that she’s always wanted to try but has never been able to get reservations for. (Thankfully, even for a Friday night, Adam lucks into reservations.) (It may have helped that he's been talking to the restaurant about possibilities for a future episode of “Worth It”.)

When the concert hall doors open and they make for their seats, there’s some light piano music already playing. Adam assumes, at first, that it’s pre-recorded. That is, until he spots your sister at the piano. It’s nearer to backstage, so it’s not like she’s prominently featured, but…it’s interesting. She’s playing some sort of old-timey waltz-type piece. You stand to the side of her, almost unnoticeable. There seems to be some sort of unspoken exchange or signal between the two of you at some points because you somehow seem to know WHEN to turn a page. He wonders if he’ll figure out the signal through the whole of the concert, or if he too far away from the stage to discern.

As more people file into the hall, your sister continues to play, pieces varying from the slower to the faster. Watching her play is a joy in itself, Rie observes aloud. It’s evident she enjoys what she does, the way she gives herself to a piece or clearly has fun with it. She also wonders what the screen above where the orchestra is set up will be used for.

Soon enough, the lights are going down, your sister makes an exit, and the audience quiets. There is polite applause as the orchestra (rather, band with a few strings members) takes the stage, followed by the conductor giving a bow. The lights go down again. Then, lights stage right come back up to reveal a quartet of men, who sing a short ditty about Cuphead and his pal, Mugman. It’s cute and delightfully dark.

The music goes into full swing (pun intended) as a screen hanging above the orchestra shows some images telling the story of Cuphead (Adam’s guessing this comes from the game, but as he’s never played it, he can’t be sure). But there’s no actual game footage aired. Rather, as songs transition, silhouettes of characters, along with their names, remain present through the songs.

In a way, Adam’s happy about that. Actual gameplay footage would detract from the band. And while he knows music can be fun, the concert just reminds him of HOW fun it can be. All the members are dressed more…casually than one would assume for an orchestra…well…in the sense that they’re not wearing tuxedos and floor-length black dresses. Rather, more casual yet vintage fare. Like a bunch of friends in the jazz age getting together to jam.

It varies from song to song, too. While most are the traditional big band swing-type jazz, there are breaks for a slower, sultrier jazz, more ragtime-type pieces heavy on the piano, there’s a samba-esque piece, a song with an Egyptian flair, a musical cameo from “Ride of the Valkyries” that makes Rie laugh, and a straight-up James Bond theme never brought to film that makes Adam laugh. There’s even a song that utilizes TAP DANCE as an “instrument” Tapped to perfection by the same woman who’d sung about being “Mr. King Dice”, the devil’s right-hand man (in a spiffy purple suit that he’s pretty sure he’s only ever seen Eugene wear before).

Much like the pre-concert, your sister plays through intermission (right after the barbershop quartet’s song asking the audience “why not take a quick break”), you standing at the ready. Adam watches some people walk up towards the stage to watch your sister more closely. Some are waving and trying to get her attention (or, possibly, yours, if any of them are aware of your employment with Buzzfeed and connection to “Unsolved”). The two of you ignore them in favor of the music until intermission is over, everyone returns to their seats, and the music continues

Throughout the concert, Adam can feel Rie moving with the music as though she’s trying to hold back a natural urge to get up and dance. When she catches him looking at her, she just smiles wider, sometimes rests her head against his shoulder. Most of the time, her hand rests naturally, loosely, in his.

Come the end of the concert (with a FANTASTIC Cab Calloway-esque number sung by “Mr. King Dice” herself), there’s a hesitant silence following the evil chuckle of King Dice, insinuating that that wasn’t “all there is, there isn’t anymore”. And then the hall EXPLODES with applause, the wildest being for the conductor (although Adam and Rie cheer when your sister takes her bow).

Everyone exits, and some people begin to leave…that is, until some of the orchestra members walk back on, picking up their instruments again. Your sister sits at the piano. a drumbeat sets a tempo, and one last big band swing number is rocked as an encore. Adam’s honestly not sure if it’s a written piece, or if everyone just came back onstage to have their own little jam session. Based on the way the piece goes into an almost demented-sounding waltz at the end, he’s thinking the former, but if it’s the latter, he’s VERY impressed.

He tells your sister as much in the lobby following the concert. She tosses her head back with a single Edna Krabappel-like “HA!”. He’s very sweet, but they’re not THAT good. It’s a fun little piece from something called “Baccano!”, which is apparently suuuuuuuper violent but suuuuuuuper fun. (And also, “Tank!” from “Cowboy Bebop” was the predictable choice of “jazz song from an anime”.)

Meanwhile, you’ve stopped hugging Rie long enough to properly congratulate her and Adam (you squeeze Adam almost to the point of breathlessness when you hug him—a weird combination of love, apology, and gratitude for coming to the concert). Rie tells you she feels bad for not noticing you more onstage.

That’s the best compliment she can give you. Kind of the point of a page turner, to be as inconspicuous as possible. If you’re noticed, you’re doing a bad job.

The conversation is interrupted by several voices calling several names in question. The five of you turn to see three other familiar faces approaching—Shane, Sara, and Ryan.

Your sister’s utterly gobsmacked that so many people you work with have come, and she voices said gobsmacked-ness. Well, she’s part of the “Unsolved” family, Ryan explains. Family supports family. Besides, if she was playing, they KNEW it was bound to be good.

Sara, despite having only met your sister once, throws her arms around her as she proclaims the concert was DOPE. (She then hugs you and thanks you for having an awesome sister.) Shane posits that the whole of the music from “Cuphead” is prime “jazz-it” music, should the Axeman ever make a comeback. Your sister will pretend to know what that means.

Okay, go around the room, what song was everyone’s favorite?

Rie’s—the waltz-y ones near the beginning. They sound like some of the things she listens to when she cooks sometimes.

Adam’s—“One Hell of a Time”, for being aptly named. Either that or “Porkrind’s Shop”, because it was delicious and crispy.

Sara’s— …is it mean if her choice was the encore? (No, it’s not, that’s fine.)

Shane’s—“Inkwell Hell”. Or as he’s renaming it, “Ricky Goldsworth’s New Theme Song”. (Ryan feigns laughter, then shoots Shane a look.) (Before your sister can ask who the hell Ricky Goldsworth is, you quickly move the conversation along.)

Ryan’s—Probably one of the Inkwell Isle songs, or some of the Run-and-Gun songs. They sound like the kind of thing you’d maybe hear in certain areas of Disneyland.

Yours—It’s a tie between “Undertale” and “Battletoads”. …”Floral Fury” or “Clip Joint Calamity”. (Everyone laughs at the joke, even if not everyone gets it.)

Kelsey would get that probably, Ryan says. He’d invited her to come tonight, actually, because she likes video games, but she couldn’t make it. That’s too bad, she would have really liked it. You say as much before telling your sister you realized you’d left something backstage and quickly leave to go fetch it.

And ACTUALLY, your sister continues, the conductor wants to make this kind of concert a reoccurring thing: have the occasional video game music concert, featuring either a game or a series of games with notable music. Still trying to get approval from higher-ups, rights to scores and such, but this seemed to go over well enough. Any suggestions?

RED DEAD. RED. DEAD.

Shane…calm down.

Sara says anything with good piano moments because she knows your sister will make them gold.

As conversation continues, Rie tucks her arm into Adam’s and leans against him slightly. Not to hint that she’s tired, but just to be close. He smiles and brushes his lips into her hair.

From behind your sister’s shoulder, he sees you at a distance, carrying what appears to be a music bag in both hands. No one else in the group has spotted you, you’re still far away enough, in a more dimly lit part of the lobby.

Adam watches you look up and halt midstep. Eyes widening in some sort of recognition. Adam glances in the direction in which you’re looking. Someone is approaching you, and from the expression on your face, the presence of this person is…unexpected. Not unpleasantly so, he thinks, he can’t really tell. But he watches you tuck the strap of the music bag around a shoulder to shake the stranger’s hand (stranger to Adam, anyway, but…you’re possibly meeting this person for the first time, he can only assume from your flustered state, nervous laughter he can’t hear).

Again, too far away to hear, too far away to tell what you’re discussing. But whatever he’s saying to you, it makes you laugh.

It continues for a while, the quiet rapport. Doesn’t last so long that the group is wondering where you were (then again, Shane and Ryan getting into some sort of arbitrary argument is enough of a distraction for anyone), but not so short of a time, either. You don’t bring him over to introduce to the group (though you do indicate your sister, Adam thinks…maybe he wants to meet her?)

Regardless, he shakes your hand again, gives you a thumbs-up as you walk away.

…Adam feels like he SHOULD recognize this person, but can’t place a name to the face. Can’t be an old friend, he thinks; you don’t share a lot of pictures from life pre-Buzzfeed. But hopefully, he’s trustworthy.

All Adam can REALLY tell about him from a glance is that he’s tall. Maybe as tall as Shane, it’s hard to tell. (Definitely skinnier than Shane, in any regard.)

He’s got a LOT of wild, curly hair.

And…it sounds a little mean in his head as he thinks it…but that man has the weirdest-shaped thumbs Adam’s ever seen.

**Author's Note:**

> ...so yeah. guess who we be crossing over with come next part? the thumbs should be a giveaway.
> 
> (i feel like jaws is waiting in a nearby pool, wagging his tail, eagerly waiting for me to play piggyback.)
> 
> feedback welcome and appreciated.


End file.
